Mouthing Off
by Write No More
Summary: Who would've guessed that behind that high and mighty exterior was a playful, silly dragon who loved to talk! And Toothless isn't the only one! Luckily, Hiccup and the teens have wisely invested in ear plugs.
1. Language Barrier

There were times where Hiccup desperately wished that he could understand Toothless, to be able to actually talk to him and have him talk back.

The lasting friendship the boy and dragon shared was a powerful bond that was unbreakable, chained together with the purest, raw form of unconditional, platonic love that existed and allowed them to "talk" to each other in unique ways. They were separated only by communication. They were unable to speak to each other. And what could be shown through their expressive facial expressions and gesticulations was often lost in translation, leaving a confused Hiccup often dragging Toothless towards the forest when the reptile tried to make it very clear he wanted to go to fishing at sea.

Several days after he had awoken after being in a coma, Hiccup woke up one morning feeling very peculiar in a sense that something was a bit off. His eyes were still closed, but he could tell that Toothless was the one nudging and prodding at him, whimpering and whining for him to wake up so they could go for their morning flight. Hiccup sat up in his warm, comfortable bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"You're awake!" a voice cried in joy. "Thank goodness you're awake, Hiccup, or I would have roasted you on the spot. I was afraid that I was going to be stuck inside this dreadful house all day. Do you know what it's like being stuck on the ground all day? Well, I mean, of course you do. Who am I kidding? You've been living on this pitiful earth for the first fifteen years of your miserable life, but that's not the point. I want you to be out of bed this instant!"

Who was talking at this early in the morning at this hour? Hiccup fell back into his mattress again and covered his head with his pillow, keeping his eyes shut and continued to stare into the blackness.

"C'mon, you can do it, I know you can. In fact, I don't just know that you can do it, I know you're going to do it, because if you don't I will bite your head and swallow you whole and spit you back out because you probably don't taste that good," the voice said, and began to go on a tangent. "Maybe if I sprinkled a little salt and pepper on you and cooked you for a bit, seasoned you with those absolutely wonderful herbs and spices from the farmer down the road, then you would be acceptable to eat. Acceptable. You could be an appetizer. A snack! You're much too small for the main course. Or dessert."

Hiccup was not quite entirely sure if he was still dreaming or not. Who was the owner of this disembodied voice, and where was he? And why did it threaten to consume him?

"Speaking of food, I think some fish would do very nicely, yes indeed. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if it's not too much trouble. Of course it's not, right?"

Fish? Who ate the most fish around here? Hiccup wanted to strangle the annoying voice in his head.

"By the way, I don't think you feed me enough. I'm sure one basket would do for those other dragons, but we're talking about the one here who just saved your entire species from extinction."

The one who saved them? Could it be? He ignored all the signs. He had gone crazy, yes. Perhaps it was due to how many times Astrid hit him.

"Can we go get some from that fisherman with the big beard? Then again, everyone around here has one of those. Except you, of course. And the girls. Except that one time…," Toothless whimpered. "Anyways, he always lets them rot a bit. That's when they're simply divine, my dear boy. You should eat more. Put on some weight. Sometimes I'm afraid you're going to fall off when you ride me."

Ride? No. That's impossible! Oh gods, make it stop.

He hadn't been entirely paying attention to the words he could hear, but he finally jerked upwards and snapped open his eyes. Toothless was at his side, sitting down on his haunches, staring at him expectantly with his innocent, wide, puppy dog eyes.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes?"

The color drained from Hiccup's face and he went pale. "Toothless?" He barely managed to choke out the name.

Toothless chirped. "That's my name; don't wear it out!"

Hiccup would have rolled his eyes in any other situation. Did Toothless' mouth just move at the same time he heard those words being said?

"Get up!" the voice roared impatiently.

"Can you understand me, Toothless?"

"That's a stupid question. I can and have always understood you. The problem is that you haven't been able to understand me up until this point."

"Wow!" Hiccup gushed. "This is amazing!"

"Do you know how long it took for me to learn your language? All the vowels and accents! A, E, I, O, U, but why Y? Not to mention all the tongue twisting!" Toothless growled.

"So that's what it was!" Hiccup said, rubbing his nonexistent beard. "I thought you had a sore throat!"

"I was trying to talk to you! I've been trying to send you a message for weeks! See how I'm staring at you menacingly right now?" Toothless glared at him, pressing his forehead against Hiccup's in an effort to intimidate him. "It means I want you to put on those ridiculous clothes you wear and open this door at once before I sit on you. And I promise you, mark my words, it won't be pretty!"

"How is this possible?" Hiccup asked in awe, still trying to figure out how Toothless could speak.

"Easy. I'm _smart_!" the Night Fury huffed. "It's not every day you meet a bilingual dragon. Actually, come to think of it, I might just be the first!"

"Can all dragons speak Norse? What language you do you speak? Do you guys have your own culture and society?"

"I didn't know we were playing Twenty Questions!" Toothless shoved Hiccup with his tail. "Get dressed!"

"But there's so much I want to know!" Hiccup protested.

"You sure are full of questions!" the dragon remarked. "No, I don't know if any other species of dragon can speak, we obviously speak Dragonese, and yes, we do! Now hurry up before I starve!"

Hiccup chuckled as he tossed on his clothes and ran off, ready to seize the day, practically bouncing with excitement.


	2. Who Needs Girls?

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed upon the sight of the Night Fury, who was currently hiding under his bed.

"Go away," Toothless growled.

"Why? Toothless?" Hiccup asked, crouching down to place a comforting hand on his friend's side. It wasn't like Toothless not to be chatty. The boy nudged Toothless in the side incessantly until the dragon poked his head to snap at his hand. "Hey! What's wrong?"

Toothless crawled deeper under the furniture.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me."

A muffled reply.

"I can't hear you."

Toothless came out from underneath the bed. "I said I hate girls."

Hiccup laughed. Toothless glared at him and went back to sulking.

"Is that what this is all about? Are you having girl troubles?"

"No!"

Silence.

"Okay, MAYBE."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No!"

"Then I'm leaving."

"WAIT!" Toothless tackled Hiccup to the floor. "Hiccup, what does it mean when someone licks you?"

Hiccup was baffled by the question. "What on earth are you talking about? And get OFF me!"

"Like this!" The Night Fury ran his long, slimy tongue across Hiccup's face, relentless with his affection, coating his rider with slobber.

"People don't usually lick each other."

"Then what is that thing you do with Astrid?"

"What 'thing'?" Hiccup nervously asked.

"That thing where you two press your faces together."

"That's called kissing, Toothless."

"Oh EW! She KISSED ME!"

"Who did that to you?

"That's so GROSS!" Toothless was frantically rubbing his face into Hiccup's shirt to wipe it away. "Dragon cooties!"

"Toothless, who was it?"

"I can never go outside again!" the dragon wailed miserably. "I'll never live this down."

"Which head was it? Left or Right?"

"It wasn't the Twins," Toothless protested. He waddled over to the windowsill and squatted on his haunches. Hiccup came over his side and saw who it was.

"Ohhh. It was Spike."

"It was SO embarrassing!"

"What happened?"

**"You can't lick me!" **

**"I'll lick you if I feel like it," snarled Spike. **

**"Bet you can't!" challenged Toothless. **

**WHUMP! **

**Spike tackled Toothless and gave him a good lick and got off and flew away with a huff. **

**"Oh Toothless," hissed Right. **

**"You two make such a cute couple," finished Left. **

**"Do not!" Toothless was adamant. "We're not a couple, right? 'Cause she started it!"**

**"Look at that!" said Right.**

**"He's redder than Fireworm," Left replied. **

**"What did I miss?" asked Fireworm, landing next to Toothless. **

**"Nothing!" Toothless stammered.**

**"We promise not to tell," the Twins chorused before snaking around Toothless and whispering in Fireworm's ear. **

**Fireworm roared with laughter.**

Hiccup was struggling to contain his laughter. "It means she likes you, Toothless."

"I know," crooned Toothless, who had the dopiest look on his face as he watched the Deadly Nadder fly with such grace, entranced by her beauty.

"You like her, don't you?"

"No!"

"Your face is red."

"Is NOT!" Toothless looked at Hiccup's mirror before covering his face with his wings and tail. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Oh Toothless. C'mon, don't be mad, buddy."

"You're laughing!"

"I'm not," Hiccup chuckled.

"What's all the commotion?" Astrid asked from the door.

"Toothless isn't feeling well," Hiccup lied. No one knew that Toothless could talk and he wanted to keep things that way until he thought they were ready.

"I think he's in love," Astrid giggled.

"Hah."

"He's blushing! Look at him. He likes Spike."

"You think?"

"He's just like you when you get all flustered."

Hiccup scoffed. "Me? Flustered?"

Astrid sauntered up to him and gave him a nice, long kiss. On the lips. When she pulled away, she saw that stupid smile on his face growing.

"Boys."


	3. Cursed with Awesome

Hiccup mentally cringed when he remembered the time that Toothless had kidnapped him from his own bed and tore a new hole in the house wall to sleep together at their secret hiding spot. How unpleasant had it been to be pressed up against a dragon that slept on a branch like a bat!

"Ohhh Hiccup!" sang a shrill voice. "Wake up!"

Gods, just five more minutes.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup!"

He tossed and turned, plugging his ears and clamping his pillow over his head and refused to open his eyes. He wouldn't give in this time, oh no. Toothless, ever so persistent, tried other methods to get his rider to wake up. It wasn't an uncommon sight in Berk to see the Night Fury attempting drag Hiccup away, who clung onto anything he could grab for dear life.

"HICCUP!"

"What?" Hiccup hollered.

Toothless simply said, "Hi."

"Unnnngh."

He scurried across the room back and forth incessantly, the pitter-patter of his feet across the floor starting to really bother Hiccup. His patience was wearing thin already, but then Toothless discovered that he could skate on the wood!

This can't be good. Not at all.

"Wheee!" Toothless cried joyously as he skittered around the house with the grace of a Night Fury, mostly to grate on Hiccup's nerves. "Look! Look at how much FUN I'm having right now! If only Hiccup would GET OUT OF BED so that we can BOTH have some FUN around here!"

"Go away," Hiccup moaned, his voice muffled.

"What was that?"

"Come again?"

"GO AWAY."

"Oh, you want me to take this bucket of water?"

Why did he leave that thing lying around? He should've known better than that!

"And then you want me to dunk it over your head? But Hiccup, if I douse you with this, you'll catch a cold!"

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.

"But if you insist…"

Toothless wouldn't.

Hiccup found his entire bed soaked, water sloshing on the mattress.

Oh no he didn't!

"I thought that's what you said," Toothless said with a sly grin, the bucket still hanging from his mouth.

"Quiet, Toothless."

"But –"

Hiccup cut him off.

"But I –"

"Aah!"

"I only wanted to –"

"Tsst!"

"Can I just say –"

"Shhh!"

He heard his mattress springs creak and felt the weight shift. Then, there was only silence. Toothless was gone? Could it be? Hiccup opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. Everything was blurry and the sunlight shining through the windows were blindingly bright. And then came that dawning moment of apprehension as he found himself staring at a vile, monstrous creature with dark, jet black scales, iridescent eyes with slits for pupils, and massive wings that spanned the entire room. Its jaws were lined with rows of razor sharp teeth, wide open, ready to snap his head off.

Hiccup let out a terrified shriek.

The monster spoke. "Good. Now that you're awake, shall we go?"

Hiccup shakily replied, "Give me a second. I think my heart's stopped."

"You're such a fraidy-cat," Toothless teased, lifting Hiccup onto his back using his tail.

Toothless strutted his way out the door and brought Hiccup down to the docks, still in his pajamas. There was already a basket of cod set out for the hungry dragon and he began to devour them in a pile.

"Chew your food, Toothless."

"Yes, mom," Toothless snorted.

"Aw! He's so cute!" gushed the crowd of girls.

"What does that mean?" Toothless asked Hiccup.

Hiccup whispered, "I'll tell you later."

"Look at his eyes, they're so pretty!"

"He's just adorable, Hiccup!"

"I just wanna eat him up!"

"I'll eat HER up if she comes anywhere near me!" growled Toothless, who continued to chomp down on his fish.

Later, as they were flying, Toothless asked what the girls were saying about him.

"What do those words mean, Hiccup?"

"Well, cute and pretty means something is attractive, or pleasing to look at."

"Really? Wow! I must be really 'cute' then."

Hiccup guffawed. "That's not really a good thing."

"It's not?"

"Well, it depends on how you look at it."

"So then what does adorable mean?"

"Same thing, basically. You're delightful."

"These all sound like very nice things. These girls clearly have good taste in dragons," Toothless yipped, his pride swelling.

Hiccup snickered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What's so funny?"

"Boys aren't supposed to be 'cute'."

"They're not?"

"To girls, maybe. But boys definitely shouldn't be 'adorable' or 'pretty'."

"Why not?"

"Those are things girls are supposed to be."

"Like Astrid?"

"Oh yeah. Kinda like... Astrid."

"Kinda?"

"She's more like... beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"Definitely."

"How about pretty?" Toothless asked.

"That too. But she's not really adorable."

"She's not?"

"Would you want to say things like, 'I could just eat you up' to her?"

"Well now, it depends. Why would I ever say that to her?"

"Exactly! You wouldn't!"

"If I was going to eat her, I would just do it. I wouldn't just talk about it."

Hiccup ran his hand down his face. "That wasn't my point."

Down at their secret hiding spot, Toothless examined his reflection in the pool of water. Hiccup was right! Toothless whined. The mighty Night Fury couldn't be those things if he were to be the "unholy offspring of lightning and death himself." His innocent, puppy dog eyes that showed no capacity of wrongdoing. His sleek, yet plump body meant that he was the perfect size for a scrawny human to wrap their arms around him. And his teeth, oh, his teeth. His pearly whites formed a smile that would melt anybody's heart. Toothless came to a sudden realization. The dragon gods clearly favored him the most, considering that he was much more handsome than the other species of dragons. He was cursed with dastardly good looks!

"Darn you, dragon gods and goddesses, for bestowing me with your beauty!" Toothless roared to the sky.

"Toothless, what are you talking about?"

"Don't you see? This is my punishment! For being so awesome."

Hiccup decided to humor the dragon. "Oh yes, Toothless, that's exactly it."

Toothless nodded in agreement, musing over this.

"How ever shall we remedy this?"

"There is only one solution," Toothless declared, his darkening tone becoming melodramatic. He paused for effect. "I must combat this with acts of ferocity to show how dangerous I am."

"Err, okay?"

"Come. We must see to this at once!"

Hiccup facepalmed. "I'm going to regret this."

And so the two began their rampage around town, scaring the elderly and children out of their living daylights. By the end of the day, the Elder and Stoick had received numerous complaints of their antics.

"Did you think I was scary?"

"Oh yeah. I always think you're scary."

Toothless spotted the crowd of girls. "Watch this." Toothless winked at him and began to slink off into the shadows.

"This can't end well," Hiccup groaned.

The girls found their session of gossiping coming to a halt when a great big shadow loomed overhead. They screamed as Toothless roared ferociously, shaking the foundation of the island Berk was situated on. The dragon smiled to himself, satisfied.

"Aw! Look! He tried to scare us!"

His face fell.

"Does someone need a hug?" cooed the girls.

Toothless whimpered as they surrounded him. "Hiccup! HICCUP! HELP ME!"

"You're on your own this time!" Hiccup called.

Hiccup hobbled on inside and read his books and doodled some things before he heard the door open and shut. Toothless stared angrily at Hiccup, who sat comfortably in his chair. He narrowed his eyes and quietly said, "You left me."

"No I didn't."

"You abandoned me! My own FLESH and BLOOD! HOW COULD YOU?"

"Oh please." Hiccup rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like its torture being surrounded by beautiful girls who want to only pamper you."

"They played dirty!" Toothless protested. "Those weren't innocent girls, Hiccup! They were coldblooded killers! They tried to capture me for their nefarious plot, but I escaped!"

"Your belly is full," Hiccup pointed out.

"What? No it isn't!"

"Do me a favor and light the fireplace."

"Hmph."

Toothless sucked in and reared his head, ready to unleash his flames…

"TOOTHLESS!"

…and spat out a pitiful ember that lit the hearth on fire.

It was quiet for a bit. For a while they both watched the flames flicker. Hiccup crouched to tend to the fire.

"Toothless?"

The dragon huffed and turned away from him. Hiccup sat down next to him and petted his scales. Toothless whacked his hand away with his tail.

"Oh I see how it is."

Hiccup circled around to Toothless' hind legs. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," he chanted, grabbing his foot.

Toothless cast him a sidelong glance.

"Catch a dragon by the toe." Hiccup couldn't resist laughing at the look Toothless had on his face as he wiggled it. "If it hollers…" Hiccup trailed off, and looked up to see Toothless filling his mouth with flammable gas.

Toothless snarled angrily.

He let go.

"Toothless. Toothless? OH GODS, TOOTHLESS, I WAS JUST KIDDING! CAN'T YOU TAKE A JOKE?"

Astrid Hofferson heard a knock at her door.

"Hiccup?"

"Hi Astrid."

"Why are you covered in soot? And your hair is singed and your eyebrows are gone! What happened?"

"Mister Grumpy Wings," Hiccup ruefully muttered.


	4. Explanations, Part 1

"Hiccup?" Toothless shook his bed. "Hiccup, I had a bad dream."

"Go to sleep, Toothless," Hiccup said, waiting for the dragon to reply.

He didn't.

Hiccup sat up immediately. "Toothless, what's wrong?"

"I already told you. I had a bad dream."

"Oh. Well then." There was a long, awkward pause in that moment of silence shared between the two. "Goodnight!"

"Hiccup!" Toothless gave a low whine.

He sat up and spared the Night Fury a glance. The dragon looked like he was about to cry and began to elicit a series of sounds that could only be described as a combination of wailing, howling, and screeching bundled into a package of one very distressed dragon.

"What? What do you want me to do?" Hiccup asked.

"Can you sleep with me tonight?"

"Oh gods, Toothless." Hiccup flushed. "It isn't mating season already, is it? Shouldn't you be finding out there finding some dragonesses?"

"Not in THAT way!" Toothless roared angrily, his face reddening profusely.

"And anyway, if you hadn't already noticed, the bed is a bit too small to fit you, let alone both of us together."

Toothless was unamused. "I meant on the floor."

"The floor is hard and uncomfortable."

"Please?"

"Fine."

"Yippee!" he cried and snatched Hiccup using his prehensile tail, giving his best friend a nice, long lick with his tongue.

"Toothless, your tongue is like sandpaper!" Hiccup yelled, trying to push away the affectionate Night Fury. By the time he managed to give the dragon a good wallop on the snout, he was thoroughly drenched in saliva.

"That hurt," Toothless pouted, rubbing his nose.

"Stop being such a big baby."

"Move over, you overstuffed salamander!"

"You don't need a blanket!" Toothless protested, trying to uncover Hiccup, who had insisted on bring the sheets down to the floor with him, in a tug-of-war.

"Do you want me to freeze to death?"

"You can sleep under my wings."

"Oh no." Hiccup shook his head. "I'm not falling for that one again."

"Come on," the Night Fury begged, lifting up a wing invitingly. "It'll be fun. It'll be like we're having a sleepover!"

"We always sleepover!"

"See?"

Hiccup gave him a stern glare that quickly melted away. The dragon pulled the boy closer until he was wrapped in his wing.

"Um, Toothless. It's kind of getting stuffy in here."

"Should we try another position?"

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded. "I'm on top, right?"

"Why do you always get to be the one on top?" Toothless complained.

Hiccup sat on the dragon's belly. "So anyways, what happened?"

"I had a bad dream."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I mean, what was so bad about it?"

"I mean, it wasn't that bad."

Hiccup gave him a funny look. Toothless sighed. "Make yourself comfortable."

He seated himself on his springy mattress and watched the dragon.

"This is going to be a long one."

"Nothing's ever simple with you, Toothless."

"You promise you won't laugh?"

"No," Hiccup deadpanned.

"I was in this white room that went on forever! And it was only me, all by my lonesome! And that's pretty messed up, am I right? Then it went dark. I mean really dark! Except there was this little spotlight on his huge pile of fish. And it was huge, I mean I could like, smell it. So I started flying there because I had my other tailfin, which was really weird 'cause I don't have my left tailfin. Except every time I got close enough to the fish, close enough to taste it, and every time I had one in my mouth, I bit down and the fish was gone. And I was getting hungry and I was craving for some salmon and cod and..."

"Toothless!"

"Right. So I kept trying to fly to the fish, but it would just keep disappearing and showing up somewhere else. And you should have seen it, Hiccup, it was a mountain! A smorgasbord of all kinds of fish!"

"I get it!" he snapped. "There were a lot of fish."

"I know," Toothless crooned sadly.

"Toothless, did you eat anything before bedtime?"

"I had a nibble of fish." Toothless burped.

Hiccup slapped his forehead in frustration. "Did this fish happen to be on a plate?"

"Maybe," Toothless replied meekly.

Hiccup smirked. "I thought so."

"I swear I didn't eat the plate this time."

"First off, that was my dinner. Second, how many times have I told you not to eat before bedtime?"

"But I was hungry! And anyways, that wasn't the worst dream I had tonight."

"Really?" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"In this other one, it was the most beautiful day in the world. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the sky was clear and blue and true as ever, and the wind was just perfect for flying. And I was flying again, all by myself!"

"That's great, Toothless." Hiccup smiled.

"No, it's not."

"It's not?"

"What's the point of having fun if you can't share it with somebody you can tolerate?" Toothless snorted. "The entire time as we flew you were sleeping on my back. And I tried to wake you up but you didn't wake up."

He apologized, "I'm sorry."

"I meant in the dream."

Hiccup's expression softened considerably. "Come here, buddy," he said quietly and sat on the Night Fury's back and began to gently rub his friend's neck, creating soothing motions. "Just remember that I'll always be there for you, Toothless."

"Now you know why I try to wake you up all the time."

"Because you're bored?"

"That, and because I miss you and I want to go flying."

"We go flying every day."

"I know," Toothless grinned. "It's just that when I'm sleeping I'm dreaming about flying, but when I dream about flying you're not there with me."

"I'm always in your dreams."

"You are?" The dragon was incredulous.

"And you're always in my dreams too."

"So we're always flying and playing?"

Hiccup felt a smile pull at his lips. "Yup."

Toothless had a big, gummy smile on his face.

"See you tonight, Hiccup!" And with that, the dragon went limp and began to snore.

The rider couldn't help but grin. "Sweet dreams, buddy."

Hiccup dismounted Toothless and began to slip back onto his own bed. The dragon subconsciously yanked him back.

He groaned, "This is going to be a long night."

The next day…

"What was all the commotion last night?" Astrid asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Toothless must be bothering Hiccup again."

A pause.

"I'll go get the eel whip."

Astrid slowly crept up the path to Hiccup's house and bent down, pressing her ear against the front door. There weren't any signs of a struggle and she couldn't hear anything. She opened the door slowly and found the two sleeping together on the floor next to Hiccup's bed. Her heart melted and she gushed at the sight of them. She crouched next to Toothless and petted him. The Night Fury cracked an eye open and his eyes darted back and forth before falling upon the blonde Viking and lit up.

"Hi Astrid!" Toothless yipped.

Astrid gaped.

"Hiccup says it's not very nice to stare. Even though I am deserving of your worship."

She began to stammer.

"Well that makes for a fine how-do-you-do. Bow down before my might, lowly peasant!" Toothless declared.

Astrid shrieked and began to back up against the wall.

"Gosh, I didn't know I was that scary."

She screamed again.

"Okay, you can stop now! It's not that funny anymore," Toothless growled.

She kept on screaming.

Hiccup, at this point, had woken up. "Astrid?"

"HICCUP!" she raged, reaching out to strangle the poor boy before she was knocked unconscious.

"Did you just punch Astrid?"

Toothless huffed, "Well SOMEONE had to do something."


	5. Explanations, Part 2

Hiccup crept up the cobblestone path to his house alongside Toothless, who padded his way as quietly as possible next to his companion. The boy crouched down and pressed a finger to his lips. The Night Fury nodded and made a gesture similar to zipping up his mouth, assuaging Hiccup's fears of being caught in the middle of a clandestine operation at the crack of dawn. He twisted the door knob and slowly yanked it open and ushered Toothless in quickly before stepping inside himself, cringing as he placed pressure onto a loose floorboard. The dragon glared at him, as if to remind him of the nature of their mission. They both tiptoed past a snoring Stoick, who lounged in his favorite chair by the hearth, into the utility closet.

"Now where is it?" Hiccup whispered, rummaging through the drawers while Toothless scoured the shelves.

"I still don't see why we couldn't just go borrow some down by the docks," Toothless declared before Hiccup clamped his jaws shut.

"Because if we did that, there would be none left for the boats, dummy. And then we would be in a heck of a lot more trouble than this entire thing is worth."

Toothless tried to reply, but was only able to point frantically at the door.

"What?" he hissed.

Toothless was unable to warn him before it was too late, for Stoick came bursting through the door with an axe raised the instant he was able to speak.

"Aha! I've got you now, you ruffian!" Stoick bellowed before glancing down at his son and a Night Fury. "Hiccup, are you in the closet?"

Hiccup and Toothless shook their heads and shifted away from each other uncomfortably.

"What are you doing at this ungodly hour, Hiccup?"

"I was looking for rope."

"You mean this rope?" Stoick snatched a bundle from a hook.

"THANK YOU! See Toothless? I told you we could find it."

"You're starting to scare me, boy. What do you plan to use that rope for?"

"Oh, you know."

"No, I don't."

"Toothless and I thought that we could spice things up in the bedroom," Hiccup blurted.

Stoick gave the boy a funny look. "So… you two are playing games?"

"That's right," Hiccup murmured, "Just some friendly games to get to know each other better – inside and out."

No comment.

"Aren't you two already life partners?"

The pair reddened profusely.

"Just kidding," Stoick chuckled. "You worry me sometimes."

"Don't worry about me," Hiccup said and began to leave.

"Hiccup."

He froze. "Yes dad?"

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

Hiccup stiffened and sighed, "Alright. I'll fess up."

Toothless cocked his head, eyes widening.

"This," Hiccup began, "is the wrong kind of rope that we need."

"Ah. I see."

"Yeah, you see, we need the kind to tie a person up."

Stoick seized the opportunity to teach his son something. This was a perfect example to demonstrate his vast knowledge of rope and its various applications and how to use it properly.

"You don't happen to have some gagging cloth, do you?"

"Indeed I do."

Hiccup frowned, unsure of what to think, and gave the dragon a wink. "Okay, Toothless, now all we need is an eel whip."

"Have fun, you two! Be sure to ask Astrid to join you."

"Oh, you have NO idea," Hiccup muttered.

Stoick gave himself a pat on the back. "Good talk, Stoick."

The two entered their little shack to find Astrid already awake, arms crossed and tapping her foot.

"I'm waiting," she stated.

"I can explain everything."

Toothless ran up to her and punched her again, roaring, "PAYBACK, GIRLFRIEND!"

"WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?" Hiccup screamed.

"I thought we were keeping her quiet!"

"Not THAT way!"

Toothless rolled his eyes, "Sheesh. You just can't please everyone."

Hiccup sat Astrid's unconscious form in the most comfortable chair he could find and tied her up. "We've got to get her to calm down. Then, we can explain everything." Hiccup was pacing frantically around the room. "Hopefully she'll understand."

"For what? I don't see what the big deal is."

"To keep it a secret."

"Why keep it a secret?"

"Because I'm not insane."

"People think you're insane?"

"Yes – I mean, no. Kind of. Sane, normal people don't usually have conversations with dragons."

"Whoever said you were sane?" Toothless grinned. "Or normal?"

Hiccup felt a smile gracing his lips. "After all, you would have to be crazy to try and be friends with a dragon anyways?"

"A Night Fury too! Crazy, am I right?"

"And who wants to be normal, anyway?"

"So boring," Toothless concurred.

"You're right, Toothless. I am mental."

"Definitely. Seriously, you're messed up!"

Hiccup frowned. "Um, sure."

"Like, really, really messed up!"

"Okay, I get it."

"You're wacko!"

"Toothless…"

"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?"

"TOOTHLESS."

Astrid stirred. Toothless raised a paw.

"Don't."

"I dunno, she's a lot more appealing when she's not talking. Or awake. Or punching us."

"Like someone I know."

"Who's that?"

Hiccup facepalmed. Astrid moaned, slowly awaking from her Toothless-induced coma.

"Astrid?" Hiccup tentatively whispered, brushing her golden locks from her face. "You okay?"

There was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Not now," he exasperatingly groaned. The last thing he needed was more people to complicate things. "In a minute."

"Why?" the muffled voice of Snotlout came through.

"I'm naked!"

"Ooh, really?" Ruffnut eagerly shrieked. She kicked open the door to her dismay, a fully clothed Hiccup. "Aw, man. Darn it!"

"Let me in!"

"Me first!"

Tuffnut and Snotlout were busy trying to get through the doorway before Fishlegs tackled them all and everyone crashed into the room in a big pile.

"Dude, what are you doing with Astrid?"

"Deep breaths, Hiccup," Toothless said.

"IS THERE NO SUCH THING AS PRIVACY?"

"Kinky," Tuffnut said. "I never took Hiccup for that kind of guy."

"How come I wasn't invited?" Ruffnut angrily asked, leaning in too close for Hiccup's comfort, whispering, "'Cause I like that."

"I'll go get the rope!" Snotlout ran off.

"It appears he used the proper kind of rope to subdue her," Fishlegs noted. "Very insightful of you, Hiccup."

Hiccup was banging his head against the wall repeatedly. Astrid was awake now, her face red as she tried to scream. Ruffnut untied her friend, unprepared for the assault on her eardrums.

"TOOTHLESS TALKED!" Astrid howled.

"What? That's whack, girl!"

"Dude, I want whatever you're on!"

"Really? A dragon with vocal cords? Or does it mimic human speech?"

She pointed at said Night Fury who was trying to hide by spreading his great black wings in the corner, who gave a gummy smile. Everyone looked at Hiccup.

"Well?"


	6. How to Make Out

Hiccup sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow as he continued his work.

"Okay Hiccup. You can go now," Gobber said.

"What?"

"You heard me." the blacksmith waved him away.

"Really?"

"Yes, yes," he said, ushering him out of the stall, "Now get moving before I suddenly change my mind."

"My work here is done!" Hiccup cried.

"Say hello to your dad for me, will you?"

"Yeahsureokaybye!" Hiccup grabbed his flying gear and ran as fast as he could back to his house after a long, hard day of work at the forge.

"Dad, did you remember to feed Toothless today?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick glanced at his son and rolled his eyes. "No, Hiccup, it must have slipped my mind."

"Gee, thanks dad, why don't you douse me in fish sauce while you're at it? He'll be starving by now and the last time you forgot, he nearly bit my head off."

Stoick chuckled, "Yes, of course I fed him."

"Oh. That's good."

"Where are you looking to go?"

It was Hiccup's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm going flying. Duh."

"Oh no you aren't."

"I'm not?"

"It's getting late." Stoick tapped an invisible sundial on his hairy wrist. "You two won't be able to find your way home in the dark."

"Lemme see that! It's like, nine o' clock. And the sun is still out."

"I still don't want you going out there at this hour."

Hiccup restrained himself from reaching out to strangle his father.

"Besides, it's time for you to go to bed, young man."

"Bed?" Hiccup scoffed. "I'm fifteen years old! I don't need to go to bed for another three hours."

"Upstairs." Stoick pointed. "Now march."

"Hah! Make me!"

Several seconds later…

"Ugh, this is so embarrassing! Let me go," Hiccup whined as his father carried him. "You'll be sorry. I've warned Toothless to messily devour anyone that tries to bring me in."

Stoick set Hiccup down. "Wait, wait, nonononono!"

Toothless executed his infamous pounce attack and shot out like a bolt of lightning and tackled Hiccup clear across the hallway, slathering him in copious amounts of saliva with his sandpaper tongue until he was thoroughly drenched.

"Ah, there you are, Toothless."

"And where were you?" Hiccup glared at the dragon, who contentedly licked himself.

"Astrid and Ruffnut decided that it was time for your Night Fury to have a bath. Try not to make too much noise while you're playing with your dragon, will you? Now goodnight!" And with that, Stoick shut the door.

Hiccup huffed, "Why didn't you maul him?"

"Maybe I didn't feel like it."

"Fine time for a bath."

"You just wish you had two hot blondes lathering soap all over your wet body."

Out of curiosity, Hiccup asked, "…Were they were naked?"

"Now that's the question, isn't it?" Toothless arched his brow ridges in a suggestive manner, a smile spreading across his features, whispering in his ear, "They were."

"Shut up," Hiccup threw a pillow at the Night Fury, "No they weren't."

Toothless grinned.

Hiccup wailed and pointed an accusing finger. "You're lying!"

"Maybe I am." Toothless' voice grew husky, giving his rider a mischievous look. "Maybe I'm not."

Hiccup crossed his arms. "I'm not talking to you."

A bit later…

"So what 'cha doing?"

"Reading."

"I can see that. Reading what?"

"A book."

"What are you reading?"

"It's a math textbook."

Not really.

"What's it about?" Toothless asked eagerly.

Hiccup wasn't sure if it was a trick question or not and said slowly, "…Math?"

"Oh." Toothless rested his head on his paws. "I see."

"Numbers and equations. It's boring. You wouldn't be interested."

"Oh, you mean like two plus two?"

Hiccup was surprised and replied, "Yes. That's right. What does that equal?"

"Fish!" Toothless gave a gummy smile and clapped his claws together in delight.

Hiccup's face fell. "Err, no, Toothless. Two plus two doesn't equal fish."

"Sure it does! Watch!" Toothless jumped out of a window.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called after him and stumbled his way to the windowsill and to his surprise, found that Toothless had drawn a fish in the earth.

"See?" Toothless said with a mouthful of leaves.

He shook his head. "No. Nope. I'm just not seeing it."

"Look!" Toothless traced the figure until Hiccup could see that the fish was made up of two number twos.

"Oh," Hiccup said dumbly. "Of course. Silly me."

Toothless hopped back inside and read over Hiccup's shoulder, remarking, "You know, for a math textbook, it seems to be lacking in numbers." He pointed at some words. "What's that say?"

Hiccup pretended to read aloud and improvised, "'A bushel is a unit of weight equivalent to four pecks.'"

"What's a peck?"

"A quick smooch."

"What's that?" Toothless cocked his head.

"You sure are full of questions today, buddy. You know what it is. It's that thing where you – ugh, never mind."

"No, show it to me!" Toothless nudged his rider. "Please?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't wanna."

"I won't ask for anything else."

Hiccup gave him a funny look.

"Promise."

The boy gave the dragon a smooch on his cheek.

Toothless blinked. "That's it? I thought you said that was a kiss!"

"That IS a kiss. It's a variation."

"There are different kinds?"

"There are many types of kisses, Toothless. Now hush and let me read."

After a while, Toothless asked, "So you've kissed a girl before, right?"

"I suppose, if Astrid counts as one," Hiccup snorted.

"What is it like?"

"What is with you and kissing? It's nice."

"I mean the kind you and Astrid do when you guys think no one is watching, but secretly everyone is watching!"

"People are watching us while we make out?" Hiccup yelled.

"Yeah," Toothless sighed dreamily, as if remembering a fond memory, "You guys get really into it when your tongues are involved. So how do you do it?"

"People are watching me and Astrid frenching!" Hiccup cried. "Do her parents know? They're going to kill me! Astrid's going to kill me!"

"So is it just shoving your tongue down their throat, or do you have to massage their tongue?"

"I'm dead! I'm dead! Oh gods, I'm dead!"

Toothless smacked his rider upside the head. "Get a hold of yourself, I was just kidding. No one was watching."

"Oh," Hiccup sighed, relieved. "That's good."

"Except me, of course."

"What? Toothless, you can't do that."

"Why not?"

"That's like, an invasion of privacy."

"Soooo?"

"That's wrong!"

"Annnnd?"

"That's not cool!"

"But it's good practice. Besides, if I'm ever going to have Spike as my mate…"

"That's what this is all about?"

"Does it always look like two worms going at it?"

"Toothless, if you want Spike to be your mate, just, I dunno, ask her!"

"How do you two not drown in all of that saliva?"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Is it a sucking motion or are you two kinda sandwiching your tongues?

"GODS!" Hiccup screamed and grabbed Toothless' face and pulled him into a passionate, sloppy, wet kiss, invading Toothless' mouth with his tongue.

"MMMfghhh!"

The Night Fury leaned into the kiss, blushing furiously as Hiccup gave him a hands-on demonstration on how to properly violate a person. The dragon tried to pull away, unable to breathe until Hiccup grabbed him back into a second, more intense kiss.

"MMMMmmmMMMmm..."

This went on for a couple more minutes, with Hiccup nearly strangling the Night Fury every time by yanking him back.

"Hiccup, I can't do this any - ackppth!"

Toothless flailed helplessly under Hiccup's assault, unsure of whether he was enjoying the gesture or about to die from embarrassment.

Hiccup wiped his lips. "I was hoping it wouldn't taste so fishy."

"Is it always like that?" Toothless panted, red as a tomato, running his tongue around the inside of his mouth, trying to make sense of what had just taken place. "I can taste Astrid's lipstick."

Much later...

"What's it like to fall in love?" Toothless suddenly asked.

Hiccup was taken aback by how profound the question was. "Well…" He thought for a moment. "I don't know."

"But Astrid's your girlfriend!" Toothless sputtered.

"It's hard to describe."

"What does it feel like?"

"...I've got it. Say the girl of your dreams walks by…"

"Yeah?"

"Your stomach does this kind of somersault thing and your heart races. Then you start to sweat a lot. Your brain stops working, shortly followed by your mouth, and you babble like a complete fool until she walks away."

"That's LOVE?"

"Medically speaking, yes."

"Is it normal if it happens all the time?"

"Sure! I used to be like that. And now look at me!" Hiccup flexed his muscles. Toothless fell to the floor with a CRASH that shook the house. "Ohmigosh, Toothless!" Hiccup hopped off his bed and tried to resuscitate Toothless. "Are you alright?"

The sound of wheezing laughter was his reply as Toothless rolled around. "AhaHAHAheehee! That was the best joke you've ever told, Hiccup!"

Hiccup glared at the dragon and blew out the candle. "Goodnight, Toothless."

"Eeeee…"

The sun slowly peaked up over the horizon, casting its golden rays of light upon the small isle of Berk where the Vikings resided.

"Hidadbyedad."

"Where do you think you're going?" Stoick snatched his son by the collar, who still continued to run midair.

"Flying!" he gasped.

"What on earth are you flying for? What do you think people have feet for?"

Hiccup thought for a bit and came up with, "To work the pedals."

Hiccup dragged himself through his front yard, with Toothless trailing not too far behind.

"We can go for a swim today, buddy!"

"Hooray!" Toothless cheered.

Down at the grotto…

"Before I go swimming, I always put in my rubber ducky first." Toothless stated and tossed in the aquatic toy.

"For companionship?"

"To test for sharks."


	7. Betrayal

On a particularly cloudless, peaceful night, a scrawny young teenage boy ran for his life. Not too far behind him was a behemoth that quietly trailed after him, its snaking form slinking along gracefully as it stalked its prey.

His breath was ragged, his racing heart pounding away in his chest with the blood inside his head throbbing. Hiccup could hear nothing but a constant, high-pitched whine and saw nothing but the cobblestone path that stretched on and on, leading up to his dimly lit house, on the tallest hill, dangling precariously above the cliffs, a beacon of salvation and hope and promised warmth and safety. All was a blur except the road he sprinted along in the quiet village of Berk. The rays of light of the full moon that hung above him like a polished coin in the canvassing black sky cast down upon him and illuminated the blackness of the night.

He dared not to look behind what was chasing after him. He ran inside, slamming and locking the door effectively.

The door was suddenly blasted open in an explosion of plasma and fire that sent wooden splinters flying everywhere.

Maybe not.

"What's gotten into you?" he whispered, panting. He was safe, for now. Hiccup held his breath, seeking cover behind a wall, peeking out, his eyes darting back and forth.

Nothing.

There was a snort and he turned around and screamed as the black devil dove towards him, attempting to latch onto his vest. He ran up the stairs until something grabbed him back. He kicked away and ran to the end of the hall into his room. He would be safe there.

"Oof!" He was slammed from behind, sent sprawling across the rug.

Ouch, carpet burn.

Hiccup raised his palms facing outward in a futile attempt to placate the possessed dragon that pushed him down forcibly. He yelped and attempted to escape the beast's clutches and managed to scramble away for just a moment until it latched onto his prosthesis. He kicked away, backing away slowly until his back was pressed up against the wall. Stricken with terror, he found no other alternative than to sink down to his knees, taking deep gulps of air, helpless against the monster before him, and looked up. Its massive shadow loomed over his thin frame and for a moment, as he closed his eyes, he thought that it had decided to leave him alone. His hopes were dashed when he slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring face to face with the creature, its eyes narrowed with slits for pupils gazing back at him, piercing into his own emerald eyes.

It was no longer his friend.

Hiccup's stomach lurched as fear overwhelmed him and he began to stammer, begging for his life. "Toothless," he pleaded, "it's me, remember?"

The Night Fury merely growled at him. Hiccup reached out and tried to get a hold of his companion with a scratch under his chin, but the dragon pinned his hands down with its tail, a claw at his throat.

"It's Hiccup, Toothless!" he yelled to try and shake his former best friend out from whatever was controlling him, making him do these awful things. "Don't you remember?"

Then, the scaly beast spoke, uttering, "No."

"Why?"

"I only serve Her now, human."

He didn't even bother using his name. No, not he. Not Toothless.

"You're not Toothless," Hiccup shot back.

It was something else.

"Who is she?" Hiccup shouted, gasping for air as it pressed down on his throat. Then it dawned on him.

Her. She was making him do all of these things.

The Night Fury smiled his trademark gummy smile, except it wasn't friendly at all. More like twisted. Demented. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Hiccup shook his head, unable to look the dragon in the eye any more. It hurt too much.

"I thought," Hiccup shakily began, "I thought we had something!"

Cruel, mocking laughter was his reply. That was it, wasn't it? It was just a bad dream, a nightmare. He would wake up and this would all be over.

"You're in there somewhere, Toothless! I know you're in there somewhere," Hiccup begged, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Fight it! The Toothless I know would win!"

"The Toothless you _knew_ is gone."

Hiccup was visibly shaken as it said those words and stared down its throat, two rows of razor sharp fangs poised over his head. It was ironic. This was how they had met and this was how he was going to die.

"I'm sorry things have to be this way," it said, not sounding sorry at all.

"It doesn't," Hiccup whimpered, squirming away, unable to contain himself as tears streamed down his face.

"Oh," it cackled, "But it does."

"Please, Toothless, I'm begging you."

It blinked. "…Hiccup?" It was as if the dragon was shaken from its stupor.

Hiccup's heart leapt for joy only for it all to be dashed.

"Just kidding," it sneered.

Hiccup stared back, hopeful. "Please."

He heard footsteps. "Good boy, Toothless," a female voice said. "Get him good. Right there."

Hiccup gave a heavy, shuddering sigh and took a deep breath…

…and let out uproarious, uncontainable laughter.

"Tickle tickle tickle!" Toothless cooed, assaulting Hiccup with his claws under his arms.

The rider laughed some more, tears falling from his face. "STOP, hahaha, PLEASE! Oh GODS I hate you AstriAHAH!"

"He's really ticklish on the sides!" Astrid cheered.

"Traitor! She's got you wrapped around her fingAHEEHEEHAH!" he laughed, unable to do anything.

Astrid held up a basket of Icelandic cod, setting it down by the door. "Well, you've held up your end of the bargain." She blew Hiccup a kiss and strutted away with a bounce in her step.

"Thanks Astrid," Toothless mewed.

"You're stopping?"

"Who said anything about that?"

"Wait wait, oh nononono!"

"Coochie coochie coo!"

"Stop, stop, I beg of you!"

The sound of their joyous laughter resonated.

Toothless finally let him be and Hiccup sat up, wiping a tear from his eye laughing nervously. "You'll just do anything for fish, won't you, buddy?"

"Yup!" he cheerfully replied and began to dig in, swallowing fish after fish, enjoying his hard earned treat.

"Luckily I know your weak spot."

Toothless whimpered as he saw an evil smile spreading across Hiccup's face. "What are you going to do?"

"Just a little _revenge_." He smirked.

"Hiccup I was just kidding!" He backed into a corner, trying to make himself small as possible as Hiccup came bearing down upon him. "That's not fair!"

"Oh, but it is!"

"You dirty cheat!"

Hiccup lunged, putting Toothless in a chokehold while the Night Fury thrashed.

"Say it!"

"No!"

"SAY IT!"

"Uncle, Uncle!" Toothless cried. "I'll never forgive you - ooh, right there, yes!" Toothless gasped.

"You like that?"

"No," he roared ferociously, only to be reduced to bliss. The dragon gave a sigh and his body went rigid, then limp, eyes rolling into the back of his head and his tongue lolling out of his mouth as Hiccup went directly for that spot underneath his chin. "Oh I hate you..."

Hiccup smirked.


	8. Duel of Fates

Astrid watched the two, turning back and forth until her head began to spin.

"I never liked you!" Hiccup snapped.

"I never liked you in the first place!" Toothless screeched back.

She was getting dizzy just watching them exchange insults.

"Lizard face!"

"Fishbone!"

"Fish breath!"

"Midget!"

Right now things weren't going too well.

Toothless snorted, "You're so skinny I could use you as a toothpick!"

"You're so ugly that it hurts to look at your face!" Hiccup gagged.

"You're so thin I'm afraid the wind will carry you off on a breezy day," the dragon cackled.

"You're so fat that I bet you would bounce if you hit the ground!" the boy yelled tenaciously.

"How dare you!" Toothless gasped in horror. "Wipe that smirk off your face!"

"That's right," Hiccup said smugly and leaned in, whispering in Toothless' ear, "I went there."

"Take it back! Take it back!" The Night Fury shouted indignantly.

Understatement of the year.

In between blows, the two managed to spout off more insults.

"You make me sick!"

"You give me indigestion!"

"You make me want to claw my eyes out!"

"Then I'll do it for you!"

Astrid spoke up, "You guys are being immature about this."

"Yeah, Hiccup, you're being really immature about this!" Toothless mocked, sticking out his tongue.

"She was talking to the both of us!"

"Guys, really, it's no big deal!" she said, trying to defuse the situation before things got out of hand.

"You stay out of this!" they hissed and spat at the girl.

The blonde warrior was taken aback by their sudden outburst. "What did you say?" she asked, her tone getting dangerous. "Why I outta clobber the two of you!"

"Go away! We're busy!"

Astrid flipped her golden locks over her shoulder with a huff and left without another word.

The nerve!

"You always act like I'm your servant! 'Hiccup, I'm hungry! I want fish," Hiccup mocked in Toothless' voice.

"You always treat me like some cool pet and use me to pick up chicks!" Toothless slicked back his fins and arched his brow ridges in a suggestive manner, speaking in a husky voice, "'Hello there ladies. Yes, yes, it's me, Hiccup the Dragon Master. Oh, what's that? Who, Toothless the Night Fury? Why yes, he is the unholy offspring of lightning and Death itself. You want to pet him? Well, he doesn't like to be touched. He'll bite your head off if you're not careful. He almost did that to me the other day.'"

"I do NOT sound like that!"

"Cue gasps from the crowd of attractive Viking girls," Toothless droned on. "'Of course, seeing as I am THE Dragon Master...'"

"I never said that!"

"You managed to have them all fan you with palm fronds and feed you grapes before Astrid came over and got in a cat fight with all of them. And won."

"Ooh, you make me so mad sometimes!"

"There's only one way we can settle this," Toothless hissed, narrowing his pupils sharply.

They glowered at each other, circling the room in a deliberate manner, watching, waiting for someone to make the first move. Complete and utter silence. Hiccup swallowed, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face. Toothless also gulped, tensing up as he saw Hiccup's hand form a tight fist, clenching so tightly that his knuckles were white. They froze, standing several paces from each other, shoulders hunched over, hands and paws at their sides as they studied each others movements and expressions, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack.

"Ready?"

"You bet I am."

Hiccup let out a battle cry that would make any Viking proud, charging at the Night Fury, fist raised and cocked, ready to unleash his rage upon the dragon. Toothless roared, his sleek form jumping into action.

They chanted, "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Toothless fist pumped. "Paper beats rock. Hah! I win!"

"That's 'cause you cheated!" Hiccup said, poking Toothless in the belly. "You changed at the last second!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"You're just mad because you suck!"

"Your claws are too big! And quit rubbing it in."

"La la la la la," Toothless sang, rubbing his paws in Hiccup's face. "Talk to the hand, girlfriend!"

"Best two out of three."

"Fine!"

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"I win, again!" Toothless made a puppet with his claws that swallowed Hiccup's palm.

"That's not a move."

"Yes, it is. It's lizard, and lizard eats paper!"

Hiccup made a Vulcan salute. "Oh yeah, well, Spock vaporizes lizard!" he shot back.

"Then my dynamite blows up your Spock!"

Toothless launched an ember at Hiccup playfully, who dodged the blast, grabbing a sword from its sheath on the wall, leveling the tip of the blade at Toothless.

The dragon narrowed his eyes. "Just when you think you know somebody, they turn their back on you."

"Don't start something you can't finish."

Toothless whacked the sword away out of Hiccup's hands and lunged. The boy ran down the stairs past his father, snoring soundly on his favorite leather chair.

"Dad, dad, it's an emergency!"

Stoick groggily stretched and yawned, "What is it now, Hiccup?"

"Can I borrow a sword from the armory?"

"You know my rules, Hiccup," Stoick sternly reminded his son and went back to sleep.

"Thanks dad!"

Hiccup dashed off as he heard an enraged Toothless stomping down the stairs. He reached for the door knob and twisted it frantically, only to find it to be locked. Adrenaline flowed through his veins.

"C'mon, c'mon!"

He heard Toothless' footsteps grow louder and louder, a feral snarl escaping the dragon's throat. Hiccup let out a frustrated sigh and prepared himself. The Night Fury's head reared around the corner. He kicked the door open with all of his might, the wooden door now bashed in. He grabbed a decorative sword and whirled around just in time to have it at Toothless' throat.

"This hardly seems fair," Toothless chortled in a throaty manner. "Let's even the playing field, shall we?"

"As you wish," Hiccup said evenly.

Toothless grabbed a swordfish from a basket and swallowed it whole before spitting out the remaining skeleton, holding the tail with his two claws, their blades touching.

"En garde, mademoiselle!"

"En garde! And I'm not a girl!

Hiccup lashed out with a strike that nearly severed the dragon's head, had he not ducked. Toothless reprimanded himself, having forgotten that Hiccup was an adept swordsman. He slashed back in a showy move that knocked Hiccup down. The boy ran, sliding behind cover just narrowly dodging a blast. He ran, clambering onto the rooftop of the house, panting.

"Coward! I shall have your head on a platter, mortal!"

He began to run, only looking back to jump onto another rooftop of a nearby house, rolling gracefully, his prosthesis squeaking under pressure.

The two began to narrate their epic battle that ensued in the village, grinning at each other as they did so, enjoying their little dance.

"Hiccup thrusts out at Toothless!"

"Who dodges and parries, knocking Hiccup off balance!"

Hiccup feigned struggling to maintain his balance. "But the brave and valiant Dragon Master does not sway and launches a counterattack…"

"The Night Fury launches his own counterattack to his counterattack!"

Their blades clashed magnificently, sending sparks flying everywhere. The sounds of their struggle could be heard throughout the village, metal upon bone clinking and clanking as they hopped from one roof to another.

"The Night Fury grabs the Dragon Master!"

Hiccup found himself being tossed down onto the soft grass.

"Great Odin's Ghost!" Hiccup yelped, rolling out of the way to avoid being skewered. "Aha, you missed!"

"Oho! I won't next time!"Toothless sneered back.

Toothless and Hiccup, whether they realized it or not, were having fun. They smiled inwardly as they pretended to engage in swordplay, using their imagination in the most fun and nonsensical ways as any child would. They knew their parts well, Toothless being the tyrannical antagonist of the play while Hiccup was the knightly hero.

Hiccup felt like a kid again, fondly remembering the lazy summer days when he toted a wooden sword and shield and wore an oversized Viking helmet as he went to go play in the forest all by his lonesome, launching raids and planning strategies to combat the dragon infestation as the chief of Berk. When he was bored of that, he imagined a world where his father actually acted like he loved him and everybody didn't always call him mean names and Astrid would actually like him and he wasn't alone...

He ran towards the tower, shoving himself between carts and stalls, making a showy display of shoving the great doors open in slow motion before climbing the rickety old staircase that led to the bells, slowly ascending. Their swords met time and time again, both of them engaged in a fearsome clash, their blades locked together as they grit their teeth in competition. A flash of lightning and a boom of thunder outside as they engaged in intense combat, a storm brewing. Hiccup shoved Toothless back, who only came to bring down his blade upon Hiccup and knocked the frail boy back, who only responded with a kick that sent both of them sprawling onto the rooftop. Rain poured from the black skies, the pitter-patter drowned out by the sound of their swordplay. A slow, ominous drum roll played, the screeching chords of an orchestra shrieking as the two gazed at each other, once best friends, now sworn enemies. A flash of lightning, blinding and sudden, struck the lightning rod perched atop the Mead Hall. In that moment, the two yanked each other to the side, knocking the bells, and lost their swords.

"No!" they cried dramatically.

Toothless used his tail to trip Hiccup and grabbed his swordfish skeleton.

The population of Berk came and watched them play.

"Isn't it a bit dangerous for them to be up on top of the Mead Hall?"

"Ah, let them have a little fun."

"Hiccup," Stoick cried, "get down from there!"

"Yes, Hiccup," Gobber agreed, "listen to your father."

"I don't want you cutting yourself on those shingles, my boy! They're sharp as the devil's tongue," the chief said as Hiccup and Toothless battled with potentially sharp and dangerous weapons perched perilously on the tallest building on the island.

Hiccup grabbed his sword only to find Toothless already armed, twisting his claws and sending the blade flying out of the boy's hands down to the villagers below.

"This ends here," Toothless said, scrunching up his nose in excitement for the climax of their scene.

Hiccup shivered, freezing in the rain, facing his ultimate fate at the hands of his best friend and prepared to deliver his dramatic line. "How did it all come to this?"

Of course, things usually fly over Toothless' head.

"You tell me."

…

"You mean you don't know?" Hiccup sputtered.

The clouds disappeared, making way for blue and true skies. Their imaginary world disappeared and they were back in Berk. The sun began to shine once more in all of its glory, warming their faces.

"No, I forget," Toothless pondered innocently.

"I thought you knew!"

Toothless dropped his swordfish skeleton and gestured for Hiccup to get on his back. "Your dad doesn't look too happy."

"Let's get outta here."

They shared a laugh.

"You mean this entire time, we were battling to the death over something so pointless that we can't even remember?"

"When you put it that way, it sounds really dumb!"

"Toothless? Let's make a deal."

"Hm?"

"Let's promise never to make a big deal out of anything and solve our problems by talking it out."

"You said it!"

They coasted through the air blissfully, soaking in the sun with the biggest smiles on their faces.

"You know, it was still my smoked salmon..."


	9. Explanations, Conclusion

"Well?"

"Someone's in trouuuuuble," Toothless whispered in a singsong voice and grinned.

"Can it, Toothless," Hiccup hissed back and elbowed the dragon in the side. He turned to face the group of Viking teenagers and sighed. He would have to handle this as delicately as possible.

"I think Hiccup is being a very silly goose right now," Toothless declared, "and if I were you guys, I would eat him."

Everyone gaped, unable to comprehend the idea of a talking dragon.

"Wait, what?"

"Huh?"

"I don't get it."

His stomach growled and he rubbed his belly mournfully. "I have rumbly in my tummy that only seafood can cure."

Hiccup gave Toothless a playful wallop on the snout. "He's just hungry, guys. When was the last time you ate?"

Toothless cocked his head. "Do you mean when was the last time I had a meal? Or when was the last time I ate something? 'Cause there's a big difference."

Fishlegs noted, "Gosh, it must be so surreal having a conversation with a dragon."

"Trust me, you'll get over it quickly," Hiccup said, scratching Toothless' fins, "especially if your dragon is anything like Toothless."

"Hey!"

"How is it possible?" Astrid asked, plopping herself down next to Hiccup and petted the Night Fury's black scales.

"I don't know, really." He shrugged.

"That's the best that you've got?" Astrid asked in disbelief. "You expect us to believe you just woke up one morning and Toothless started talking out of the blue?"

"Um, yes?" Hiccup said sheepishly, "Actually, that's exactly how it happened."

"That's not good enough, Hiccup!"

Snotlout shook his head. "Good enough for me."

Fishlegs concurred. "Makes sense."

"Sounds about right," the twins agreed.

Astrid huffed, "Aren't you guys a little bit curious as to why or even how Toothless can talk?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Not even a teensy weensy bit?"

"So what?" Snotlout declared. "So the dragon can talk!"

"Big deal," scoffed Tuffnut.

Ruffnut added, "And it's not like he's not our dragon, so it doesn't really make much of a difference."

"And it's not like our dragons can talk or anything," Fishlegs sighed glumly.

Suddenly, everyone turned to Hiccup, their narrowed eyes locked onto his.

"What?" he asked.

Everyone scrambled towards Hiccup.

"Guys? You're all kinda invading my personal space here." Hiccup gestured to an invisible bubble around him.

"Can they?" Astrid asked.

"Because, that would be like, the coolest thing ever!" Snotlout added.

"Totally!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded.

"I wish Horrorcow could chat with me! Think of the intellectual discussions to be had!"

"It's not as great as it sounds," Hiccup nervously laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make them talk."

He stammered, "I don't know. How should I know?"

They stared at him.

"Why am I always the expert on things?" Hiccup asked exasperatingly. "First Toothless asks me for dating advice and now you guys…ugh!"

Astrid poked him in the chest. "Because you're the one who started it all!"

"Started what?"

"This!" she gestured to everything around them.

"So I'm automatically the person to go to when nobody has the answer?" he challenged.

Everyone nodded.

Hiccup started counting off his fingers. "Well, first off, you can't really make them talk. If they have something to say, they'll say it. And that's probably not gonna happen if your dragon is already happy."

"How'd you get Toothless to start talking?"

"That's easy," Toothless piped up, "He forgot to feed me."

Hiccup sighed, "Or maybe because they're not as spoiled as a certain Night Fury I know."

"Who's that? There's another Night Fury on the island? Is she a girl? Is she hot?"

"Then comes the issue as to whether or not they're even smart enough to learn how to speak Norse."

"Aw, thanks Hiccup!"

"For what?"

"You said I was smart!"

"No I didn't," he replied. "Oh wait. Yeah. I guess Toothless is pretty smart."

"Maybe we could ask Toothless to talk to them," Astrid suggested.

"Well, in that case, it's gonna cost you each," Toothless chuckled, "a basket of fish."

"Toothless, you can't charge them," Hiccup said.

"Yes I can," Toothless said. "And I think I will. And I also want something else."

Everyone groaned simultaneously.

"Astrid," Toothless sang.

"What?"

"You know what I want."

Astrid sighed. "Fine. I'll put in a good word for you for Spike."

Toothless bowled Astrid over and began to lick her excitedly. "Yesyesyes!"

"Toothless," Astrid giggled, "get off of me!"

He gave her a bear hug, shaking her around. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"Ack! Toothless, you're crushing my spine here."

He dropped her gingerly.

"You're welcome," Astrid laughed before she was cut off with a sudden kiss. "Mmmph!"

Hiccup's eyes were the size of dinner plates. Everyone's jaw dropped as Toothless engaged Astrid in a passionate kiss, swirling his tongue around her orifice. He finally released her when she was able to shove the dragon off her him.

"Toothless!" she fumed.

Toothless squealed Spike's name, chasing his tail. Astrid touched her lips, blushing.

Hiccup stammered, "Astrid, Astrid, I am _so _sorry - and Toothless is too! Toothless, apologize! You do not just randomly kiss people! Especially not Astrid!"

"Sorry Astrid," Toothless said mournfully, looking dejected.

"It's okay. For some reason, you kiss like Hiccup."

Hiccup stiffened.

Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs whistled for Spike, LeftnRight, Fireworm, and Horrorcow. Nothing happened for a moment, until the ground began to shake, the roar of a stampede approaching.

Spike barged through the side of Hiccup's house, squawking.

"My wall!" shrieked Hiccup.

Horrorcow flew another wall.

"My other wall!" _  
><em>

LeftnRight broke two windows and snaked their heads through, tongues darting in and out of their mouth.

"My windows!"

Fireworm crashed through the roof.

"My roof! My _house!_" Hiccup screamed in horror.

Toothless began to get all woozy at the sight of the alluring Deadly Nadder and giggled. "Heeheeheehi Spike."

Spike ignored the lovestruck dragon. _"Yes Astrid?" _she asked in Dragonese.

_"It seems the twins request our presence, brother."_

_"Indeed, brother. But what do they require assistance with?"_

_"Perhaps they want to flying." _

_"Do you two ever stop talking?" snarled Fireworm. _

_"Now now, be nice," Horrorcow said dumbly. _

_"HEY!" Toothless snapped. "I'm talking!" _

The other dragons stared at the Night Fury.

_"Hi Spike," _Toothless said, giving the Nadder a gummy smile. _"You're so pretty..."_

_"Hello, Toothless,"_ she replied tersely.

_"I've been meaning to tell you something." _Toothless cleared his throat and said in a slow, flirty drawl, _"I think your butt is really big."_

The other dragons laughed. Spike flared up in anger.

"What? What are they saying?"

"Do I look like I know how to speak Dragonese?" Hiccup replied, annoyed.

Everyone stared.

_"No, wait, Spike! That's not what I meant!" _Toothless groaned, "Darn it, my Dragonese is rusty!"

_"Well then!" _She ruffled her spikes and whacked him with her tail. _"How rude!"_

_"Are we having a house party or what?" Fireworm bellowed. "What are we here for?" _

_"Your riders want you guys to start talking to them in Norse," _Toothless said, rubbing his sore head.

_"If they wanted us to, they could've just said so," _Horrorcow slurred.

The other dragons glared at the Gronkle.

"Ahem, twins," Left started, "allow me to begin."

Ruffnut's and Tuffnut's jaws dropped. "Do they have a British accent?"

"No no," Right interrupted, "allow me."

"I insist."

"No, I insist!"

"I said I'd go first, brother!"

"And I said," the other head replied, headbutting the other, "I was going first!"

Fireworm shoved the arguing Zippleback brothers aside, speaking in a slow, deliberate manner with a regal air, "As you know, I am, of course, Fireworm."

Toothless rolled his eyes in a sardonic manner. "Oh please."

"The most beautiful Monstrous Nightmare."

Toothless began to dry heave and gagged.

"No, scratch that, the most handsome dragon on this island."

The Night Fury burst out laughing, rolling around. "No, please, stop, you're killing me!"

"I'm sorry, is there something you'd like to say, Toothless?" Fireworm asked irritably.

"Everyone knows that position has been taken by moi. Seeing as I am a Night Fury."

"Hah!"

"The last time I saw a mug like yours, I fed it a banana!" Toothless wheezed.

"Everyone knows that Monstrous Nightmares are superior."

"All bark and no bite! You've got more teeth than a piranha, yet you have the bite of a puppy!"

"It adds to my ferocious nature."

"A kitten is more ferocious than you," Toothless snickered.

"Now now, hatchlings," said Horrorcow, "let's be mature about this."

Fishlegs squealed, jumping up and down. The Viking teens gave him a funny look.

"I am, of course, Horrorcow, the _intellectual_ of the group," the Gronkle said smugly.

"Oh look, he used a big word!" Fireworm taunted.

"Make way, boys," the Deadly Nadder said coolly, brushing them off. "And I am Spike, obviously."

Astrid huffed proudly, "Like dragon, like rider."

Hiccup groaned, "Things are gonna get a lot more chatty around here, huh Toothless. Toothless?"

Toothless was head over heels over Spike, currently trying to woo her with a regurgitated fish head.


	10. Goodbye, Toothless

"Hiccup?" The dragon shook the boy gently with his forepaws in the middle of the night. "Hiccup, are you awake?" he asked.

Hiccup's eyes snapped open and sighed. He was going to strangle the overstuffed salamander someday.

Hiccup let out a frustrated groan, sitting up and tossing the blankets over the side. "Now I am. What is it, Toothless?"

"I'm sick."

The boy rubbed his eyes and got a good look at the dragon in the dim candlelight. Toothless did look awfully pale.

"You look just fine to me," Hiccup stated lamely.

Toothless moaned, "But I don't feel good."

"What are the symptoms? You gotta give me something to go on here, bud."

"My throat feels like it's on fire."

"Maybe that has something to do with the fact that you're a fire breathing dragon?" Hiccup scratched his head.

Toothless whimpered, curling his tail around himself.

"Don't be silly, Toothless. Dragons don't get sick."

Toothless insisted, "But I'm sick."

He was obviously faking it. The look on the dragon's face said it all: he clearly wanted a midnight snack. Hiccup decided to play along.

"Alright, Toothless. Maybe some Icelandic cod will cure you."

"No."

Hiccup's heart raced as Toothless refused. He thought he would never live to see the day Toothless turn down fish. He couldn't remember if Toothless had touched his dinner. Still believing the Night Fury to be a good actor, he gulped and said worriedly, "You know this means that we can't go flying tomorrow."

Toothless nodded gravely. "I know," he whispered hoarsely.

Hiccup's eyes widened. Something was terribly wrong.

Toothless always wanted to go flying.

_Always. _

He panicked and began rummaging through the drawers to find anything that would be remotely helpful in the situation. For the first time, he felt helpless to help his buddy, at a loss at what to do.

"DAD, TOOTHLESS IS SICK!" he screamed.

"That's what I said before – urk!" Toothless started to say before his eyes bulged out as Hiccup shoved a thermometer into the dragon's mouth.

"Shut up. Lie down. Are you cold?"

"Very," Toothless shivered.

Hiccup wrapped Toothless in sheets and went over to light the hearth.

"I'll do it," the dragon said weakly, sucking in.

Hiccup clamped Toothless' jaws shut. "No!" Hiccup shouted, "You have to conserve your strength."

He dragged his friend over to the fire and sighed in relief as he stopped shivering. He placed his hand on the reptile's head to gauge his temperature. "Oh my gods, Toothless, your forehead is on fire." He made a disgusted face, wiping snot on his pajamas. "And your snout is runny!"

"What is it, Hiccup? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Stoick asked wearily from the doorway.

"Dad, Toothless is sick!"

"Is he contagious?"

"Dad!" Hiccup squeaked exasperatingly. "What do we do?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the dragon expert around here?" the chief sputtered.

"I don't know!" Hiccup threw up his hands. "I don't know what to do and Toothless is sick."

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do now, Hiccup. We'll go visit Gothi in the morning."

"Can't we wake her up now?"

"I'm sure it's nothing serious, Hiccup." Stoick gave his son a reassuring shake. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Hiccup swallowed and nodded. "Okay. You're right. Maybe he'll feel better in the morning."

"That's the spirit, my boy." Stoick shut the door.

Hiccup grabbed his pillow and curled up next to the dragon.

"It's okay, Hiccup. Go to sleep," Toothless crooned, "I'll be alright. Promise."

He squeezed Toothless' paw tightly, patting the dragon's head gently.

"Thanks Hiccup," the dragon sniffed.

There was a long, awkward silence between the two of them.

Hiccup offered some words of comfort. "I hope you get better soon."

"Me too."

"Do you wanna talk?"

Toothless shook his head. "No. I have a headache."

He traced soothing motions into Toothless' scales and massaged his neck until he could hear nothing but the hisses and pops and crackles of the fire in the hearth and the dragon's ragged wheezing. He pressed his ear against the dragon's chest and nearly fainted when he had thought Toothless had stopped breathing, only for him to resume.

Hiccup found himself nodding off until he dozed off completely. He awoke to the sound of chattering teeth.

The fire had died.

He stoked the fire back to life when it had consumed all of the firewood and went outside in the deathly cold night and gathered up some logs in his arms. He warmed himself by the fire, feeling the aches melt away.

Think positive, Hiccup, think positive. It was just a cold. Vikings get colds all the time and they usually survive.

Usually.

Toothless would be okay.

Right?

He watched the fire flicker and cast an eerie glow across Toothless' worn features.

He sat cross-legged next to the still form of the dragon. He took a sketch pad and charcoal stick, the tip hovering over the blank page, mocking him, daring him to make a scratch. Hiccup smiled, remembering the day when he had tried to get Toothless to sit still so that he could capture the dragon's image in the grotto on a bright, sunny, cloudless day. Toothless, as one would expect, was fidgety and easily, often going off on his own to chase after butterflies and frolic in fields of dragon nip. Now Toothless slept like a baby and he was at a loss as what to put down, lacking the inspiration necessary to be able to capture the dragon's image in a way that would remotely do him justice.

Morning finally came. The island was engulfed in a suffocating fog. The birds were silent. The sun's rays were unable to penetrate the thick, ominous storm clouds headed their way, the sounds of thunder booming in the distance.

Hiccup stretched and yawned. He gently shook the sleeping Night Fury.

"C'mon, Toothless."

"Go away." He swatted away Hiccup's hand.

"Toothless, we gotta go see the apothecary."

The dragon whined, refusing to budge. "I'm exhausted. Let me sleep!"

In any other situation, Hiccup would have pointed out the irony of the situation, considering their relationship. It seemed that their roles had been reversed.

"You want to get better, don't you?"

Toothless blew air out of his nostrils. He slowly pushed himself up before collapsing onto his side, trying to gather his bearings. Everything was just _off_. He looked up at his rider with a dizzy head and bleary eyes. "God, just kill me now," begged Toothless.

"Toothless! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" he replied irritably, picking himself up only to fall again, mumbling into the floor, "I just stood up too quickly."

Hiccup threw a vibrant red scarf around Toothless' neck.

"I don't need a scarf," the dragon weakly protested.

"I know. But it looks nice on you," the boy grinned, looping the scarf and tightening it into a cute bow tie, smoothing out the Night Fury's fins. "There." He slowly led Toothless' to the Elder's quarters. He didn't like the feeling of dragging Toothless along like he was some kind of pet on a leash. He rapped upon her door and heard the sound of the Elder slowly rising and hobbling over with her cane to open her door.

"Hello, young Haddock, it is good to see you. Come in, come in! What brings you to my humble abode?" The woman quickly ushered in the two from the cold.

"It's Toothless, y' see." Hiccup gestured to the ill Night Fury. "He's sick."

Toothless gave a low grunt in agreement and sneezed loudly, rattling the cupboards.

"Oh my."

She prescribed Toothless some mint leaves to soothe his throat and his stuffy nose. Gothi patted the Night Fury on the head and said to him, "Get better soon."

Toothless nodded slowly in response.

"Be sure to give him plenty of fluids," she advised Hiccup.

"Don't worry. I will."

Toothless sluggishly made his way back home and collapsed on the floor.

Hiccup set a bowl down next to the dragon. "Toothless, try this."

"What is it?"

"Soup."

"Is it fish?"

"You can't tell?" Hiccup asked.

"My nose is all clogged up. I can't smell a thing," Toothless sniffed.

Hiccup nodded slowly. "Then yes, in that case, it's fish soup."

It wasn't fish soup.

"Oh. Goodie. I honestly don't mind what kind of soup it is. I'll usually eat anything."

"Don't I know it."

"But I absolutely can't stand chicken."

Hiccup paled. It was actually chicken noodle soup.

Toothless eyed the soup warily. "What are these things? They're not eels, are they?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Just eat it."

Toothless lapped up the broth and smacked his lips, slumping visibly. "I can't even taste the fish."

A week passed.

"Hiccup, you've got to get some sleep," Stoick said.

"Not until Toothless gets better," he protested tiredly.

"Be reasonable, Hiccup."

"He's never left my side."

"What good would it do if you got sick too?"

"But look at him, dad!"

Stoick looked at his son with pleading eyes, opening his mouth and closed it, unable to bring himself to break his son's heart.

But he had to.

"Hiccup."

Toothless gave short, shallow breaths as he slept, looking particularly feverish. His scales were discolored and he had a sickly complexion.

He crouched down to speak to his son on an eye level, biting his lip and finally spoke.

"I don't think he's going to make it."

Pain rose within his chest, like he had been sucker punched in the gut. And just like that, the bad memories he had tried to forget for so long resurfaced. The story of his life that he couldn't comprehend. He clenched his fists, an emotional whirlwind rose inside of him. It weren't the bruises, taunts, and smacks of punches landing on his face that had been the worst part of his child, of being Hiccup the Hopeless, of being a nobody. It was the anger and rage that he had kept to inside of himself all of those years, bottled up and lowly building until the pressure was too great and he was waiting for that spark to ignite his soul, leaving him withdrawn from the world in his own thoughts of aggression and violence and intent to cause hurt and pain and suffering and misery and how to channel those thoughts into molding himself into the Viking warrior everyone expected him to be. It was the paranoia of having everyone watching, waiting for him to slip up and make some mistake for a laugh at his expense. It was that lonely feeling that even the fear and shame couldn't smother in his restless dreams. It was the position of helplessness he had been forced into, with nowhere to turn and no one to turn to.

He knew he had to do something about it, but he didn't have the answer.

Every word spoken became some hidden insult meant to strike at his very core. Everyone became a threat. A threat needed to be maimed, neutralized, eliminated, destroyed, rendered harmless, _killed_. His only option was to build some form of protection against this threat, an emotional barrier that rendered words useless against his shield, a great wall that blocked even his own father from penetrating. Each day passed and he would look into the mirror and no longer recognize the image staring back at him and ask:

"Where has your smile gone?"

Hiccup remembered winter days spent alone standing in the bitter cold, snow falling from the gray skies like ashes. He remembered the disappointment in his father's voice, the sound of mocking laughter. For once in his miserable life, he was finally able to do something right: "fight" dragons. His achievements garnered newfound respect. His father was proud of him. Everyone wanted to be his friend. And he was happy. Everything happened so suddenly, he never had the time to sit down and think about the reasons why things worked out the way they did.

Toothless had changed all of that.

Brick by brick, he slowly emerged, making himself vulnerable, leaving him out in the open, expressing his emotions.

"Oh _gods_," he choked, his body shaking uncontrollably as he fell to his knees into his father's arms. "I don't want to be alone again," Hiccup sobbed. "Not again."

"I'm sorry."

He stood over Toothless' grave, bending down to trace the runes carved into the tombstone and looked away, biting his lip, his eyes stinging. Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, her eyes brimming with sparkling tears. Fishlegs solemnly took off his helmet, Tuffnut and Ruffnut and Snotlout following his example. The dragons gurgled in remorse and apology.

"I'm gonna miss him."

"Yeah," Tuffnut swallowed, burying his head onto his sister's shoulder.

"Me too. And get off!" Ruffnut shoved her brother weakly without any oomph, deeming the motion inappropriate during such a heartwrenching moment.

"Me," Snotlout trailed off and counted with his fingers, "three."

Astrid pulled Hiccup into a bear hug and buried her head into his chest, whispering again and again her apologies and condolences.

"It's okay."

She sobbed, "No, no it isn't."

"I just can't believe he's gone."

Hiccup took a shuddering breath. "At least we know he's in a better place."

…

"You call _this _a funeral?" a voice piped up. "I could orchestrate a better funeral in my sleep!"

"Night Fury! Get down!"

A black blur suddenly darted into the crowd. "Where's the emotion? Where's the passion?" Toothless said dramatically, bouncing in between the two.

"Glad to see you've made a full recovery," Astrid said, punching the dragon playfully.

"Yeah!" Tuffnut nodded.

"We almost thought you died," Ruffnut added.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," the Night Fury grinned slyly.

"Unfortunately," remarked Spike.

"Agreed," hissed LeftnRight.

"You know how hard it is to get a coffin your size?" Hiccup asked irritably, petting the dragon. "And the tombstone didn't come cheap."

"Oh please. If this is how you guys are going to act when I die, I might as well die alone," Toothless snorted.

"You wanted to see what your funeral would be like, so we gave you one. What'd you expect?"

"I was expecting a bit more work coming in from the waterworks department, mister," replied Toothless.

"What, me? Crying? Please."

"Admit it," Toothless teased. "You thought I was going to die."

"No..."

"No, you thought I was going to die."

"No!"

"Yes, you did! I saw you shed tears!"

"Tears? I had something in my eye and you were sleeping."

"You were bawling."

"You were sleeping!"

"Whatever."

"I had something in my eye," Hiccup said.

"I kept your tears in a jar," Toothless purred.

Hiccup gave a wry smile. "C'mon. Let's go flying."

"You betcha!"

They mounted their dragons, ready to soar off into the blue skies until Hiccup sneezed.

"Oh no," everyone groaned.

"I'll get the soup," Toothless sighed, clamping down on Hiccup's collar and hauling the adamant boy away.


	11. Guilt

"It's morning!" sang Hiccup, who sat up excitedly in his bed. "Whoo! Yeah!"

"Could you not make so much noise in the morning?" Toothless growled, clamping his paws over his ears. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"Sleep?" Hiccup laughed. "What are you talking about?"

Toothless shifted his butt to block out the sun with his tail.

"Toothless, what's wrong?"

The dragon mumbled, "It's too early. Maybe later."

Hiccup announced, tearing open the curtains. "It's time for us to take to the skies!"

"The light!" the Night Fury hissed and spat, shielding himself from the light with his massive wings spanning the entire room. "It burns!"

"Is Mister Sleepy Scales grumpy without his breakfast?" Hiccup cooed, tickling the dragon.

The dragon squirmed and pushed the boy away. "Go away!"

"Alright, alright, I'll get you something to eat."

The dragon tossed Hiccup out of the room with a loud crash and slammed the door shut.

He dusted himself off. "Sheesh. Touchy."

Hiccup sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and sauntered his way into the living room.

Stoick looked up from his ship manifests and noticed Hiccup slumping dejectedly in the chair. He removed his reading glasses and studied his boy.

"Hiccup, what's wrong? It's a perfect day to go flying."

"Toothless is feeling a bit under the weather," Hiccup stated.

"Oh," Stoick uttered and went back to studying the lists. He paused and set the papers down.

"Don't you want to go outside?"

"'S alright. It's no fun if Toothless can't come."

"What about Astrid?"

Hiccup shivered. "It's that time of the month."

"Ahhhh." Stoick nodded grimly in agreement. "I understand completely."

Several minutes later…

"Hiccup, you're starting to bother me."

"I'm sitting quietly!"

"That's what scares me the most."

"I'm not doing anything!"

"That scares me even more." Stoick shooed his son away. "Go sulk somewhere else, Hiccup."

"I am not sulking!"

An evil smile spread across Hiccup's face as he rubbed his palms together, formulating a plan to make his day a lot more interesting.

"HORSEY RIDE!" Hiccup bellowed, latching onto his father's back.

"Hiccup, what on earth?" Stoick grabbed his son from behind and held him up, glaring sternly at him. "I thought you were going to be quiet."

Hiccup looked up at his father with a sad look. "You know, dad, it won't be long until I grow up and get married and have kids with Astrid."

The chief groaned. Not this again. Not the guilt tripping.

"And one day you'll wake up and wonder how all the years slipped by and say, 'Where has the time gone? Hiccup's so big now, it's hard to remember when he was small – well, smaller – enough for me to give him horsey rides.'"

"Hiccup, if you're trying to make me feel guilty, it's working," Stoick rumbled.

"But alas!" Hiccup cried, falling to his knees in a dramatic fashion with his hands thrown to the ceiling. "Those days are lost forever."

Stoick sighed. "Aren't you a bit too old for this?"

"Please?" Hiccup begged, making his lower lip quiver with Bambi eyes.

…

"I think I've worked through my potential guilt now," grumbled Stoick as he ran through the village with Hiccup on his back.

"No no, you're doing great! Jump off the cliff!"


	12. Go Shed Yourself!, Part 1

"Aw shucks, Gobber needs me to work at the forge today," Hiccup told the dragon.

Toothless pouted. "I could eat him, if you want."

"Toothless..."

"Really! I could fit him into my mouth if I tried and I'm pretty sure he doesn't taste that bad," Toothless offered. "And the fact that he's missing a couple of limbs makes it easier going down. Then again, that man is probably very high in cholesterol."

Hiccup ruffled the dragon's ears. "I'm sorry, Toothless," Hiccup said, and offered, "Maybe you could go play with the other dragons?"

Toothless sighed. "Okay."

Horrorcow was really nice, albeit the Gronkle was little slow when flying, but really, really smart! It made sense, since Fishlegs was his rider and he was almost as smart as Hiccup. The twins LeftnRight were nice too and generally enjoyed his company, although the Zippleback heads tended to argue with the other much like Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Fireworm, to be frank, was bit of a jerk. They could be civil to each other for the most part, until the Monstrous Nightmare decided that he was better at something that Toothless was and decided to challenge the Night Fury in whatever ridiculous endeavor they decided to pursue, whether it be who could run or swim or fly faster, hold their breath longer, shoot their fire farther, roar louder, etc. Spike was a little bit nice to him, but not friendly. She always shot him down when he'd offer her a pretty flower he picked or a regurgitated fish tail (which mind you, is the best part of a fish).

The Night Fury was convinced she was just playing "hard to get".

He went off in search of the others, mulling over what games they could play and things they could do while formulating his plan to woo Spike with his good looks and charm.

"Hey, Toothless!" Fishlegs waved from his front yard, huddled over a crate with some board game with his Gronkle.

Toothless waved back and joined the two. "Hi Fishlegs! Hiya Horrorcow!"

"Oh," grunted the Gronkle, not taking his eyes off the "action" for one second. "Hullo, Toothless."

"Say, you wanna go do something?"

"Oh no, not right now." The Gronkle shook his head. "We're playing Vikings and Valkyries."

"Darn," Toothless said. "Oh well. I guess I'll see you…after you're done."

"Okay."

"So uh. Just holler if you need me.!"

"Mmhmm."

"Bye. Yeah. See ya. Have fun!"

"Will do," intoned Horrorcow.

Toothless found the twins at the Thorston hut, sitting on the front steps.

"Morning, LeftnRight!" Toothless yipped.

"Ah, good morning, Toothless," hissed the twins, who were currently pinning down Tuffnut.

"Lemme go, you snakes!" the boy yelled.

Ruffnut and the twins began to plait his hair in a girly fashion.

"So, when're you guys gonna be done?"

"Oh, we don't know," Left thoughtfully said.

"This prank might take all day if Ruffnut wishes," Right added, laughing at the predicament of the poor boy being forced to wear makeup.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'm free anytime."

Toothless gave a sidelong glance at the snoozing Monstrous Nightmare watching the scene unfold. "I don't suppose you'd want to join me?"

"Sure I would!" Fireworm coughed.

"You would?"

"Of course, seeing as I would win."

Toothless rolled his eyes.

Astrid hummed a tune to herself as she went about her business before a great shadow loomed overhead. Toothless jumped, cornering Astrid. She screamed in terror as she fell backwards and began to swing her fists blindly.

"Ouch, hey, ow! Astrid, it's me!" Toothless said, rubbing his sensitive nose.

The blonde dusted herself off. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that."

"Lesson learned." He stuck his tongue out at the girl.

She smiled nervously. "How's it going?"

"It's going great. Hey, by any chance, have you seen Spike anywhere?"

Astrid's eyes darted left and right suspiciously. "Spike? No, no. I haven't seen her," she said in a fake voice.

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Talking like what? I'm not talking in this voice to try and hide the fact that I know where Spike is!" she sputtered before clapping her hands over her mouth.

"Hm." Toothless eyed her warily.

Astrid began to sweat.

"My instincts are telling me you're trying to hide something. But I can't put a claw on it."

Astrid sighed in relief, grateful that Toothless wasn't exactly the sharpest axe in the armory.

He spotted the Deadly Nadder trying her best to remain inconspicuous, hiding in a baleful of hay with her spikes poking out.

"Hi, Spike!" he greeted, wagging his tail.

Spike jumped out of the haystack and glared at the girl. "Hello Toothless," she said icily.

"Hold on, you have some hay in your spikes," Toothless said, about to lick her.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped.

Spike didn't slow down in her stride as she began leading him all around Berk, trying to weave in and out of crowds and going in circles to try and lose the Night Fury.

"Wow you walk fast," Toothless noted, panting. "Hey, do you wanna play some hide-and-seek in the forest?"

"No thanks." She swerved onto the cobblestone path that led to Astrid's home, ready to "hide" in her den and hope that the Night Fury wouldn't "seek" her out.

Toothless blocked her escape. "Maybe just tag then!"

She barked, "Get out of my way, Toothless."

"Do you want some fish? I could go get some for you, if you'd like!"

"Not right now. I'm busy."

The Deadly Nadder irritably pushed Toothless out of the way, watching him tumble and roll down the hill still making goo-goo eyes at her.

"That hurt," groaned the Night Fury. "Hiccup said that when a girl hits a boy it means she likes him." Putting two and two together, he suddenly squealed with glee, "She likes me! She really likes me!"

With his muscular limbs, razor-sharp claws and teeth, velvety charcoal scales, powerfully constructed wings, and wide-eyed yellow-green saucers, there would be no way she could resist. He ran and picked the prettiest flower he could find and knocked on her barn door with his tail.

"It better not be you, Toothless!" Spike screeched.

Toothless waited at her door, picking at an irritated scale. He couldn't have that, oh no.

She finally came out. "What?"

"I brought you this flower," Toothless grinned, holding it out to her with his paws. "Do you like it?"

The dragoness regarded the dragon and his hopeful expression and looked down at the flower.

Toothless' heart raced as she opened her mouth, probably to ask him to propose to her to be her mate and ask to have his babies and…

She spat out a stream of fire that burnt the flower to ash.

"Now I do. Bye!"

What did he do wrong? He thought she liked him! He was sure he didn't come off as too desperate.

Girls were so weird!

"Yippee!" cried the ecstatic Night Fury as he jumped into the lake on a bright, sunny day on the island down at the glade.

He swam under the murky depths of the water, hunting for his prey. His pupils contracted sharply upon detecting some movement along the slimy foliage and snapped up an Icelandic cod in his greedy maw before resurfacing with a gasp, looking around.

Toothless' ears drooped sadly when he realized that he was still alone in the cove.

He splashed the water forlornly, watching the ripples spread from his paw as he floated on his back on the surface, reaching to the sky to try and touch it to no avail.

He emerged from the lake, droplets of glistening water sliding down his shimmering scales. He shook himself dry and jumped into a bed of soft, aromatic dragon nip to get rid of an itch, sighing blissfully as he lay in the patch of grass and rolled around lazily, basking in the golden rays of the sun.

The clouds floated by lazily, taking on various shapes and forms.

His heart longed to fly, to soar higher than ever. The sky was his playground, his domain. A vast, open kingdom where he reigned.

He felt a bit lonely with no one to play with. And he was starting to catch onto the idea that maybe Spike didn't like him at all.

"Hmph," Toothless huffed indignantly. "Who needs them? I certainly don't need them. I don't need anybody!"

He mulled over his words.

"Except Hiccup, I guess."

Toothless stamped his foot in irritation.

"I can have fun all by myself!"

The silence was humbling. For the first time in a long time, Toothless felt no need to speak. He had nothing to say and no one to say it to. He scratched at his scales, an itching sensation running up and down his body.

"Ooh!" he hissed, rubbing against the grass to scratch his itch.

A wave of nostalgia hit him, recalling Hiccup's fingers scratching his neck. He could really use a scratch right now. It reminded him of what life used to be like, how he used to be, how things used to work before Hiccup.

"Look at me, acting like a needy little hatchling," he sneered. He sat up and looked at his reflection. "I am Toothless, the _one_ and _only _Night Fury!"

There was a lump in his throat as he said those words, regretting bringing it up instantly.

"Stop looking at me like that," he scolded his image. "I know what you're thinking." The pair of piercing eyes looked back at him accusingly. "Stop _staring _at me!" He slashed at his reflection fiercely again and again, narrowing his pupils and hissing and spitting at his invisible foe, watching his reflection come back into view. "You can't trick me! There's only one of me!" he roared at the top of his lungs, terrifying any living creature within a mile radius.

Only one.

He did not, he would not face the truth.

But he would have to.

He had tried to forget, pushing those unpleasant thoughts to the back of his mind.

From the moment he was born he was alone, forced to fend for himself against a cruel, merciless world where the strong preyed on the weak. And he would be _strong_. Without a mother to raise him, to teach him how to survive or how to love, he learned never to trust anybody, relying only on himself because that was all he had. He built up a reputation as the silent, deadly hunter who never missed his shot. He never spoke a word, expressing himself not through words, but through action, through _violence_, controlling and manipulating the other dragons through _fear_, because those were the only things he knew. He was afraid and he wanted to express himself by causing pain and hurt even though the harm he could inflict upon other was nothing compare to what he felt knowing that he was a toothless freak that nobody wanted. So he remained silent, allowing only strangled cries of rage and plasma bolts to escape from his mouth. There was no need to speak to your enemy. Everyone was his enemy, no one was his friend! He needed no companionship, no family, no _love_. Love was fickle. Love was _weak_! And he would not be weak!

It was not until Hiccup had taught him how to love did he begin to come out of his shell.

He scooped up the water like the broken, fragile pieces of the "mirror" only to have it trickle between his paws.

Maybe that's what he clung on so desperately to some semblance of a relationship with whomever he associated with like a child. Because he was afraid. Afraid of being abandoned. Afraid of being alone.

He didn't want to be alone. Never again.

Toothless immediately regretted his thoughts, feeling ashamed for having even had them. He felt like a petulant hatchling. He would just have to entertain himself. He would have to be independent for the time being.

Gods, why was he so itchy?

He waddled over and broke off a tree branch and began to draw, trying to imitate Hiccup and how he drew those perfect curves and managed to capture the essence of the subject in front of him. The sun was low in the sky now. He danced, feeling his spirits rise.

"Done!"

To the untrained eye, the scribbles that Toothless had etched into the dirt would probably appear to be nothing more than a shapeless, featureless bundle of chicken scratch…which was exactly what it was.

But to Toothless, it was a portrait of him and everyone he knew and cared about. See those dots? Those were Hiccup's freckles and that curve was his dimply smile next to dragons and their riders.

"This is getting unbearable," whined Toothless as he scratched more and more at his scales.

A blue jay chirped and perched itself on his tail.

Toothless smiled his disarming gummy smile. "Hello Mister Bird! Would you like to play?"

The bird, surprisingly, chirped back in response before it was gobbled up by a fox.

Toothless shrieked. "No! No! Shame on you, Mister Fox! Spit Mister Bird out right this instant!"

The fox, utterly confused, spat out the twitching bird and ran as fast as he could from the dragon that sounded oddly like a human.

"Why don't you sing a song, Mister Bird?"

The bird cheerily chirped and opened its beak, ready to sing a beautiful melody.

"I can show you the world…"

"Really?" Toothless was not amused. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"…shining, shimmering, splendid…"

"That's it, featherbrain!"

Toothless swallowed the bird, spitting out a repulsive feather, smacking his lips.

"The nerve!"

Dusk fell quickly with a mix of orange and white, dark red, green and yellow in the sky.

"I really should've thought this through before I came down here."

He was trapped, unable to fly out as he normally would and a storm was coming in.

"They'll come looking for me sooner or later."

Hiccup sat by the fireplace in a comfortable chair eating a bowl of stew, sighing contentedly.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Do you ever get that feeling that you know you're forgetting something, but you can't remember what it is?"

"Why yes, son, all the time. Even with you!"

The two shared a hearty laugh before Hiccup realized what his father had said.

"That's really not funny," Hiccup deadpanned as his father continued to laugh and wheeze, doubling over.

"It's," laughed Stoick, "it's funny 'cause it's TRUE! HAH!"

"WHEN I GET MY CLAWS ON YOU, STEW-FOR-BRAINS, YOU'RE GONNA PAY!" screeched an agitated Night Fury in the rain.

The glittering obsidian scales that lined his body from snout to tail served a dual purpose of not only adding to his beauty and grace, but also served as protection against the cold and fire and camouflage in the shadows of the night and reflected the moonlight during flight, further adding to the mystique surrounding the Night Fury as one of the rarest, most legendary dragons never to be seen. Toothless prided himself on his appearance, always preening his scales to keep them clean and immaculate in hopes of someday attracting a suitable mate.

"Gods, it's freezing!" shivered Toothless.

Wait a minute. That couldn't be right. He didn't get cold. His scales were like a fur coat…

Toothless examined his body and noticed a pool of black scales accumulating around his legs.

"Huh. Where'd these come from…?"

He looked at his body, finding patches of silver scales all over his body.

The dragon gasped in horror. "No," he uttered. "Nonononono! Not my beautiful scales!"

His scales! His scales were falling off!

It could only be one thing.

"I'm melting!" Toothless roared, seeking cover from the rain, running around frantically in circles before using his wing as a makeshift umbrella. "I'm _melting_!"

Hiccup slept, a book covering his face before he sat up abruptly.

"TOOTHLESS!"

He bolted as fast as he could with his bad leg.

"Toothless, I'm so sorry, I should've remembered," Hiccup went on and on as he led the Night Fury back home, unable to see the dragon in the heavy rain.

The dragon remained silent the entire trip. The second they landed Toothless burst into the house and disappeared.

"Toothless!"

Toothless clambered down into the basement and hid himself, trying to pathetically put his scales back on.

"What's happening to me?"


	13. A Very Special Occasion

"Hiccup, come on!" the dragon whined as he dragged his rider along up the path to a certain blonde Viking's hut.

"Okay, okay!" Hiccup yelped as he bounced along the grass, still tethered to Toothless' saddle. "Just let me unhook – OW!"

"We're here!" Toothless declared.

Hiccup looked up and glared at the dragon. "You dragged me all the way to Astrid's house."

"Yes."

"Astrid Hofferson."

"Yes."

The poor boy took a deep, patient breath and slowly articulated for the Night Fury, "Astrid is my girlfriend, Toothless. We see each other all the time."

"But there's a special occasion going on tonight!" the dragon squealed with glee.

Hiccup paled.

What special occasion? Astrid didn't mention anything about a special occasion. Or did she? Was he too distracted to remember what she said? He wracked his brain to sift through the memories of the past week spent with her and came up with nothing. Did he forget their anniversary? But they'd only been couple for three months! Was it her birthday today? He didn't have a present!

"Let's go inside!"

Hiccup was about to knock on the door before it eerily opened by itself with a long creak, a blast of fog clouding his vision and a foreign scent filling his nostrils.

"What on earth?" he coughed and called out to the girl. "Astrid? Astrid!"

"I'm in the kitchen," a haunting voice echoed.

He made his way to the kitchen, feeling along the walls and came to a strange scene.

Several familiar faces surrounded a set table. The other Viking children shrieked in panic, their muffled cries gone unheard and bloodshot eyes darting to the door to somehow send a message to the boy before it was too late.

Hiccup came to a realization that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

He whirled around and bumped into a powerful, imposing figure wielding a sharp, pointy knife in their hand, dripping with blood from a fresh kill…

"Hello Astrid," the boy greeted meekly, giving a short wave.

"Hey Hiccup!" Astrid grinned and punched the boy on the shoulder. "You're just in time!"

"In time for what?" Hiccup stammered nervously and slowly edged toward the door.

"Tonight's a special occasion," cackled the warrior girl.

So close…

"So I've heard."

He was going to make it!

The door slammed shut and was locked.

"Come, join us, Hiccup," Astrid rumbled, grabbing the thin boy's wrist.

He wasn't going to make it.

He gulped and began to visibly sweat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dragons eating out of a pile of fish, including Toothless, who nosed his way into the pile and found his favorite: Icelandic cod.

Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs, it seemed, had also been kidnapped, bound and gagged to their chairs.

They all looked up to the gods and prayed.

"Sit!" she commanded. There was an evil gleam in Astrid's eye as she sat him down.

Astrid was _cooking_.

She came out wearing a spike studded apron carrying a plate and set it down in front of everyone and untied them.

"Well?" She tapped her foot in irritation. "Isn't anyone going to have a taste?"

Everyone shook their head gravely.

"C'mon guys," she begged. "It won't kill you just to try!"

"How do YOU know?" Ruffnut suddenly blurted before clapping her hands over her mouth sheepishly.

Astrid blinked, her eyes glassy and her bottom lip quivering. No one dared to make eye contact with her.

Darn it, it wasn't working this time. Her Bambi eyes usually worked.

She laid eyes upon her next victim: Hiccup.

"You'll try it, won't you?" she said sweetly.

He looked at everyone else. They all took off their helmets, as if he was being sentenced to death. Tuffnut let out a low sob, unable to look.

Everyone watched with bated breath as Hiccup shoved a spoonful into his mouth and chewed and swallowed with a gulp. His eyes lit up in pleasant surprise. "Not bad." Hiccup took another bite. "It's pretty good!"

"Really?"

"Lemme try!"

"It's delicious!"

Astrid smiled in satisfaction.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut said, "Tasty!"

"Yum!" Fishlegs said. "My compliments to the chef."

Hiccup suddenly asked between swallows, "What is this stuff anyway?"

Astrid spoke and for a moment, there was nothing silence.

Complete and utter silence. Not even the dragons spoke, knowing that they had been eating whatever she had prepared.

She went back to eating. Then the sound of utensils clattering to the table and the screech of chairs being kicked away. Astrid looked up and found that she was alone. The dragons and their terrified riders ran for the hills screaming bloody murder.

"What's gotten into them?" She shrugged. "Oh well. More for me!"

The shadowy fleeing figures jumped off the edge of the cliff.


	14. Windows To the Soul

There was absolute silence. Nobody said a word as they all watched the dragon and boy with bated breath. Hiccup sat cross-legged in the middle of the village, watching the Night Fury stare right back at him. Their eyes were locked onto each other, concentrating intensely.

Neither one spoke. Neither one moved.

It was said the eyes were the window to the soul. And it was during this moment that Hiccup began to realize how beautiful Toothless' eyes were. He had never spent so long staring at them. The longer he looked, the more he was drawn to those bright orbs.

The dragon's glossy pupils were like the shiny darkness found on the beetle's wing, always so expressive, dilating and contracting to fit his current mood, set in stony rims of pale blue-green with flecks of gold and orange. One second he could be as playful as a puppy, the next as mean as, well, a Night Fury. His irises were especially vivid and alluring in their electric, striking color that immediately drew your attention to them. The color of Toothless' eyes reminded Hiccup of freshly peeled grapes or the creamy white of jade stone. And it was almost as if Toothless' massive eyes _glowed_. On some sleepless nights he would often feel a shiver run down his spine when that eerie feeling of being watched dawned upon him. Then he realized it was just Toothless at the foot of his bed, his eyes glowing in the dim moonlight, watching him.

Toothless always liked the color of Hiccup's eyes. They were green, just like his! But they weren't exactly the same color.

Hiccup's eyes were a deeper shade of green, like emerald gemstones or olives mixed in with the color of the fertile soil of the earth and reminded him of the color of leaves in the thick foliage of the bushes or the treetops of the forest coated with droplets of glistening morning dew. His irises were crisp and fresh. They reminded him of life – of Nature. They were always deep in thought or stricken with worry or lighting up when Hiccup thought of something new he could do that day. Of course, Toothless knew to stay far, _far_ away whenever Hiccup got that funny look in his eye. He would be on the other side of the island whenever that explosion went off – because Hiccup had the tendency to make things explode with or without his help, especially when they weren't even supposed to explode!

Then, something happened.

Hiccup blinked.

The crowd of dragons broke into loud roars and screeches of triumph and celebration as the Viking spectators grumbled, silver coins exchanging grubby hands.

"Best staring contest _ever_!"

The two gave a sportsmanlike bow to each other.

"Your eyes are so beautiful."

Toothless arched his eye ridges and cocked his head in utter confusion.

Hiccup reached out. "Can I touch them?"

Toothless inched away from the suddenly clingy boy.

"Hiccup, you're starting to worry me."


	15. Dandelion

Springtime in Berk meant dandelions. Hiccup and Toothless sat alone in a field of dandelions.

"Make a wish," Hiccup laughed, holding the flower out to the dragon.

Toothless' nose scrunched up and his eye twitched.

"Ohnonono!"

The Night Fury let out a tremendous sneeze. The boy wiped the soot off of his face and looked down at the dandelion that somehow managed to survive – wait, no, it just wilted in his hands.

"Aw."

"It's okay. There's plenty to go around." Hiccup patted the dragon on his head. "Here."

The dragon began, "I wish…"

"You're not supposed to say it out loud, buddy. Otherwise it doesn't come true."

"Oh."

Toothless thought for a moment and blew, watching the seeds float in the air.

For a while they both just sat there. The Night Fury rolled around lazily and stretched.

"So what'd you wish for?" Hiccup suddenly asked.

The dragon stuck out his tongue. "I'm not gonna tell."

"Fine," the boy harrumphed playfully.

"Okay I'll tell you."

Hiccup smiled.

"I wished that you would be my best friend."

The boy was confused. "That's what you wished for? Not even a fish? Or your tail?"

The dragon shook his head. "I can get a fish any time. And why bother wishing for the impossible?"

"That's quite profound of you, Toothless."

"Besides," Toothless grinned, nuzzling the boy, "I already got my wish."


	16. Sketchbook

"What 'cha doing?"

"Doodling."

"Oh. Can I watch?"

Hiccup shoved the dragon's head. "Don't be dumb. Of course you can."

Toothless' eyes followed the tip of Hiccup's charcoal pencil as it began to mark the paper of his sketchbook.

"What about the rest of your sketchbook? Can I see?"

The boy hesitated. "Alright…"

He thumbed through a few pages. Toothless' eyes lit up when he saw an incredibly smudged sketch of his body.

"Hey! That's me!"

"That's right." He smiled.

"What about the next page?"

"Uh, Toothless…"

Toothless' eyes bulged.

"Hot DANG! Look at the size of her melons!"

"Toothless, shut up!" Hiccup elbowed the dragon.

"But Hiccup, they're practically the size of her head! How'd you get Astrid to pose nude?"

"TOOTHLESS!"


End file.
